Herbs and Tips for Lucid Dreaming

Ancient wisdom from Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus suggests that sleep serves as a bridge between life and death—an idea echoed by Homer, who likened sleep to “death’s little brother.”

In Greek mythology, Hypnos, the god of sleep, is indeed the sibling of Thanatos, the god of death. Similarly, Buddha described sleep as “the small death,” emphasising its role as a departure from our conscious minds and the physical world we inhabit.
Sleep, then, can be seen as a daily encounter with mortality, a chance to relinquish our conscious thoughts and allow our inner guides and subconscious to guide us.

Lucid dreaming is the state of being aware that you’re dreaming while you’re still in the dream. The conscious mind is winding down, and the subconscious mind is activating, creating a bridge and it is like you are standing in the middle.

Subconscious sometimes bring important information to you through your dreams
Delving into our dreams unveils valuable insights into our deepest desires and needs. Some experience prophetic visions and creative inspiration while asleep. A rich dream life can facilitate emotional processing and offer resolutions to lingering concerns. By nurturing our dream world through rituals, herbs, and journaling, we cultivate an inner sense of awareness, enabling our imagination to transcend the boundaries of dreams and manifest in our waking lives.
Dream work blurs the line between reality and fantasy, enhancing mental clarity and enriching our daily experiences with vivid imagery and profound insights.

LUCID DREAMING TIPS

Establish a bedtime routine: Set aside devices a few hours before sleep, avoid alcohol, and indulge in a warm shower or bath. Ensure your room is comfortably cool and consider sipping a calming tea like chamomile. Clear your mind and centre yourself by meditating or/and smudging the room.

Embrace intention setting: As you settle into bed, ponder the setting or theme you desire for your dream. This practice, akin to “dream incubation,” aims to prompt dreams that address questions or conflicts. Experiment with visualization, meditation, breathwork, or tarot to ignite your dream cycle. Pick something—anything that you can train your brain to recognise telling you that you’re in the dream zone. e.g. object, symbols, quote

Harness the power of wakefulness: Leverage sleep cycles by setting an alarm to wake up five hours after drifting off. Upon awakening, return to bed to reenter REM (dreaming) sleep. Transitioning from wakefulness to REM sleep may evoke stronger, more controllable dreams.

Employ reality checks: Notice how in dreams, altering lighting seems impossible? Try turning on lights or looking into mirrors while affirming, “I am awake.” This practice may trigger lucidity within dreams, allowing control over subconscious narratives.

Maintain a dream journal: Keep a dream journal bedside to capture fleeting dream memories and symbolism upon waking. Review your entries over morning coffee to decipher potential meanings or themes. Sharing with a close friend or partner can provide fresh insights.
Explore herbs for enhancing your dream world: Discover traditional dream-enhancing herbs, known as oneirogens, which foster dream-like states of consciousness. Experiment with these herbs to tap into divine messages and prophecies while in the dream state. Below, I’ve outlined some of my favourite dream herbs for you to explore further.

HERBS FOR LUCID DREAM

Blue Lotus
it has been part of the shamanic and dream culture. It was Organic Blue Lotus Flower that creates feelings of relaxation, euphoria, and happiness and is thought to cause prophetic and lucid dreams that are vivid in colour and sound.

Mucuna
Mucuna is rich in L-dopa, a precursor to dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with dreaming. Engaging the dopamine network is believed to be essential for dreaming, and enhancing dream work. It’s thought to boost your capacity for lucid dreaming, making your dreams more vivid and controllable.

Calea Zacatechichi
It is believed to promote vivid and memorable dreams, as well as increase the likelihood of experiencing lucid dreams.
before bedtime it can lead to heightened dream intensity, clarity, and frequency, making it easier to achieve lucidity within dreams. It may aid in enhancing dream recall, allowing dreamers to better remember and analyse dreams upon waking.

Mugwort
Mugwort serves multiple purposes, from warding off negative energies and psychic attacks to intensifying dream colours and enhancing dream clarity. It’s believed to facilitate astral travel. Additionally, mugwort aids in dream recall and may help decipher and understand prophetic messages within your dreams more effectively.